Pokemon Conquest Oneshots
by Imperator Justinian
Summary: A series of romantic oneshots dealing with the many characters of Pokémon Conquest.
1. Hero x Oichi

**Author's Notes:** So, while this isn't really my type of thing, since nothing like this has been done for the Pokémon Conquest fandom and I have some spare time on my hands, I figured why not? That, and I suppose I could use the practice...

Anyways, I'll be uploading different one shots of various pairings that I've seen throughout the fandom or just came up with off the top of my head(canon), and please let me know how I do, what can be improved and what you would like to see. With all that said, why don't we start with the most criminally underdone pairing?

* * *

 _Peace_

 _(Aurorashipping/Hero x Oichi)_

Peace was always something she loved.

Oichi still was at a loss to why, exactly; her upbringing certainly had done nothing to instill an appreciation of it in her, at least not directly. Dragnor was a brutal kingdom that bred brutal warriors who fought alongside brutal Pokémon; it was no place for delicate little flowers that relished peace. Perhaps it was that brutality, that untempered strength, that made her long for peace, from a break from the never ending fighting and conflict. The day that she stumbled upon Aurora while fleeing from her brother - a peaceful little kingdom with a brand new Warlord - changed everything for her.

There had been nowhere for her to go after running from Nobunaga; Dragnor was all she had ever known, and it repulsed her. It was only by pure coincidence that she happened to stumble into the Kingdom when it was under attack by Ignis. She had hoped Aurora, as remote and peaceful as it was, with a brand new Warlord, would be able to be a new start for her. But upon the sight of warriors from Ignis marching straight into town and declaring Aurora theirs, and the greenhorn Warlord trying to fend them off on his own, something stirred inside the girl. It might have been that very upbringing she despised; the one that had instilled in her an understated courage - given a delicate-looking rose its thorns.

And then she unexpectedly appeared by the brunette's side, uttering some frail resolution to help him as her Jigglypuff jumped into battle. The Warlord's only response was to give her a reassuring smile - so full of honesty she didn't know what to think - and a grateful nod before looking back at their overconfident opponents. The teamwork of the two prevailed over their numerous enemies, and the new Warlord took her aside after the battle, a smile on his face and eyes fixed firmly ahead into the future.

"Thanks for the help," his voice was brimming with as much confidence as his posture, a guileless smile plastered onto his face as he ran a hand through the back of his mess of brown hair. "I don't know if me and Eevee would have been able to win if you didn't jump in when you did. What's your name?"

"O-Oichi," his straightforwardness took her off-guard, and the pink-clad girl was left stuttering even as the Warlord gave her his name. He only continued to smile as her tongue tripped over itself in an attempt to apologize, not in any way that felt demeaning as she had become so used to, but simply in a slightly reassuring manner that let her know he could wait as long as necessary. Such a sight was almost picturesque to the girl. Oichi ultimately gave up the ghost and just settled for a small bow, and he chuckled good-naturedly.

"So, Oichi, is there anything I can do to thank you? I don't have much, but if there's something-"

"Actually," her voice was as quiet as usual, but Oichi was shocked that she had cut him off. The brunette didn't seem to mind, only giving her another smile, and she continued a bit more confidently than before. "I don't really have anywhere to go, so, if you don't mind, I was wondering... maybe..."

She felt her hesitation slowly creep back up on her, but mustered her courage and carried on. "If you would let me join Aurora's army?"

He laughed, but there was a gentle, joviality to it that made her feel reassured rather than humiliated. It was something that she had not heard in a long time. "Well, it'll be the two of us until we find someone else, but sure! I'd be more than happy to have you around!"

Those words - that she was wanted - struck her like a bolt of lightning, and Oichi couldn't help the smile that broke out across her face. It felt foreign, almost, as it had been so long since the last time she felt the expression grace her features, but it was like a new life had just been breathed into her, and the girl intended to live it to its fullest. This was her home now.

* * *

And she would give everything to defend it.

Oichi hated that they could not just leave well enough alone and had to challenge Ignis, but those three kids were right; keeping to themselves and training would only take them so far. Hideyoshi was bound to return to their doorstep one day, and there was a storm brewing in the north that threatened to drown the whole region in its black waves - something that spurned her to set out and find someone capable of stopping it. And Oichi had to wonder if she had finally stumbled onto such a person, in backwater Aurora no less.

When the two of them had braved the march into the Fire Type Kingdom and dethroned its Warlord after a tenuous battle, he had gone from house to house in the aftermath asking what he could do as Ignis' new ruler, and even tried to recruit the very Warlord that had sent his subordinates to attack him on his first day. When Greenleaf fell, its Warlord seeming just a little too eager to retire, he had let the soft-spoken man retain it, saying he could do more for Greenleaf than Aurora could. When they weathered the tides of Fontaine, so desperately trying to wash away the young Warlord from Aurora, all he could manage was a small smile through his soaked visage as he entrusted the Water Type Kingdom to the defeated yet again.

"Hopefully this won't last for much longer," he commented with a small sigh, leaning against the railing of the castle's balcony. It was a beautiful day in Aurora; clear skies, a mild, spring temperature, and a pleasant breeze that ran through Oichi's long hair and tugged at the hem of her skirts. The girl blinked at the Warlord's comment and faced him, and for a minute she thought he looked like he was about to pass out.

"Lord-" he turned to face her, the exhaustion that had written itself across his face vanishing in the face of the warm smile she had come to appreciate so much, something that never failed to make her feel like she belonged.

"There's no need for formalities, Oichi," Oichi only nodded, folding her hands awkwardly.

"Sorry, my Lord..." he just chuckled good-naturedly, and she could not help but join in.

"No, it's fine..." he turned back to the view, smile fading away into a more shaky expression. "I should be apologizing for dragging you into all these battles, though. I know you don't like fighting, but hopefully we've managed to bring some measure of peace to western Ransei by now."

The brunette turned around, leaning his elbows against the wood, sapphire orbs glancing over at her from the corner of his eyes. "Still, thanks for always being by my side. I wouldn't have been able to come this far if it wasn't for you."

And Oichi was left speechless at his comment for a few seconds before finally mustering a smile. "You've given so much already, why don't you relax for once?"

She had to bite her tongue from adding in his title at the end, and he laughed a little at her comment, standing back up and turning to face her. "I could say the same to you."

"That sounds like a good idea, though," he took a step to the exit, sapphire orbs still firmly fixed on her. "How about we get a bite to eat? Just the two of us?"

Oichi's breath hitched in her throat. "T-The two of us?"

"Well, I can't afford to take the entire castle out to dinner, now can I?" he said with a smile and chuckle, and the girl could feel her unease beginning to melt away.

"I'd love to, my Lord," Oichi replied with a smile of her own. The Warlord chuckled a bit more, running a hand through the back of his hair as he went back into the castle with her.

"We'll have to work on the titles over dinner," the girl in pink felt a giggle sneaking past her lips as she followed. And perhaps, she thought, if only for a moment, she could bask in the peace they brought; entertain the illusion that she could live a quiet life. Even if every second that passed was only a reminder of the threat looming ever closer.

* * *

And the threat had finally stepped forward.

"I-I'm sorry, my Lord..." the words the tumbled out of her mouth, feeling as weak to Oichi as her knees. He turned around - and Oichi thought that the pale moonlight of Terrera's desert only furthered the eerie calm that had settled over the Auroran's face, like the calm before a storm - and she froze the moment their eyes met. The turmoil she saw in his sapphire orbs; shock, disbelief, hurt, sadness, even anger, made her stomach churn and spoke volumes more than could anything that could have been articulated.

"I-" the words caught in Oichi's throat and burned against her tongue, but she pressed forward anyways. "I should have told you sooner."

She pushed back the bile creeping up at the very notion. "That Nobunaga's my brother."

His lips parted in turn, the edges trembling even more than his eyes as he tried to form some reply. The tension became unbearable to Oichi; she forced herself to look away from his distant gaze, the guilt slowly sapping away her will, the thought that she would be turned away again over the revelation hanging above her like a shadow longer than the one her brother casted. Suppressing a snivel, Oichi mustered up what little strength she had to look back at him.

"I don't want to be a burden," she felt a tear slip down her cheek as she turned back around. "I-I'll leave, my Lord. I won't cause any-"

Her heart stopped for a second when she felt a hand tugging on her shoulder, and she cast a stiff look back to see the Auroran looking at her with even more anguish than before. The guilt that crept up in her at the sight only made her even more nauseous; Oichi felt like turning away, shying away from the clear effect her very presence wrought, the desire to run away and hide her face forever burning brightly in her.

"Don't... Please," the words slammed into her chest with more force than one of Zekrom's attacks, and Oichi musters the courage to resume eye contact. The corners of his lips quivered into a shaky frown riddled with apprehension - like a single misplaced word would crush her - and the Warlord continued after a small gulp. "You're anything but, Oichi; Nobunaga being your brother changes nothing."

Her breath hitched, and his face softened into a small smile that offered a silent reassurance that everything would be fine - and for once she believed that it would. "You're my best friend above all, Oichi, and it doesn't change the wonderful person you are."

Oichi couldn't hold back the tears welling in her eyes; she choked out a thanks and then buried her head in his shoulder, her tears staining his coat. "T-Thank you..."

She felt his hand go to her back, patting her as she continued to sob into his shoulder. "We'll bring peace to Ransei, Oichi, together. You don't need to worry anymore."

Oichi nodded, breathing shaky as she stifled the rest of her tears, looking back up at the Warlord with a small smile. And as they walked back to Terrera's castle together, Oichi's steps still shaky as she steadied her breath, for once she felt some measure of peace, that those shadows were starting to disperse.

* * *

But the shadows it cast reached far further than her.

"What if this is all just for nothing?" Oichi looked up at the half-moan; the Warlord of Aurora was slumped over in his chair across from her, body spread out over the map-covered table like he had been pressed into the ground. "What if I'm not strong enough to end this? Is this all just some fool's errand, Oichi?"

The Warlord finally pushed himself up, running a hand through his hair with a long, tired sigh - and Oichi couldn't help but think the bags under his eyes made him look far older than he was - and then the dulled blue of his eyes finally drifted over to her, lips dipping into a frown when their gazes met. "I'm sorry."

He leaned back in the chair and glanced over to the side. "I don't have a right to be double guessing myself, not after everything you've been through. I-"

The Warlord stop when he felt a hand slip into his, and he turned back to find a warm gaze and reassuring smile from Oichi.

"My lord," she began slowly, as if trying to decide which words to say. "It's because you doubt yourself that I don't have any myself."

He blinked, slowly sitting back upright - and perhaps it was the sudden shift in lighting that came with it, but he suddenly looked like the much more energetic Warlord Oichi remembered - and then a small smile crossed his face. "We still need to work on the titles, though."

They both shared a laugh, and Oichi could finally begin to see the light through all the clout that had surrounded her for so long.

* * *

And it had finally faded away.

"Over at last, huh?" the girl looked up at the soft voice she had become so used to hearing, watching as the newly-christened Hero of Ransei sat down next to her, underneath the solitary tree that was shielding her from the sun and partiers off in the distance. His lips drew themselves into a tired smile as he leaned back against the trunk, and she found a similar one spreading over her face.

Oichi's shoulders dropped, and she let out a long, contented sigh, letting her eyes drift back to the sight of Aurora's packed streets as everyone celebrated. "Yeah..."

"Why don't you join us?" he remarked, and her gaze returned to his. "It's doesn't feel right celebrating without you, you know."

Oichi felt a bit of heat rush to her cheeks, and nervously shook her head. "I-I'm sorry, I'm just not that good with crowds."

"In that case," the Hero's tone grew a bit lighter, and he stood, holding out a hand to her. "Perhaps we could celebrate here? Just the two of us?"

The girl felt a giggle get past her lips, and Oichi found she enjoyed the newfound feeling of childish relief as she took his hand and stood. "I would love to."

He smiled - awkwardly, almost, like he was unsure of how to proceed but too caught up in the moment to care - as he wrapped an arm around her waist, and she returned in kind as they began their clumsy dance, neither quite caring if they nearly tripped or had their toes stepped on.

After all, this was the peace they had fought so hard for; the world they strived ceaselessly to create. And now they could enjoy it together.


	2. Muneshige x Ginchiyo

**Author's Notes:** Just for future reference, for the future chapters that involve the Hero or Heroine I won't be using any real names for them since they have no official names other than Hero and Heroine. Anways, why don't we get onto one of the most popular pairings in the fandom?

* * *

 _Horizons_

 _(Stormshipping/Muneshige x Ginchiyo)_

* * *

A flash of lightning, followed by the clap of thunder. The howling winds beating against everything in sight. That was all Ginchiyo had grown up knowing.

Some would call it bleak. She thought of it as conditioning. The fierce conditions were perfect for training - training which produced the finest warriors in Ransei - and she felt her pulse quicken at the thought. Ginchiyo leaned closer against one of the windows of Violight's study, letting out a quiet sigh as another clap of thunder roared out in the distance. She hated being cooped up.

Muneshige's quiet chuckle broke the silence. "I know what you're thinking."

Ginchiyo felt her eye twitch at just imagining the small smile spreading across his face, and she spun around to face him - only to wince when the motion caused an objection from her shoulder. The Warlord resisted the urge to reach underneath the sling her arm was resting in and prayed her retainer sitting across the room didn't notice the grunt or expression that flitted across her face for the briefest of seconds. Much to her dismay, Muneshige was looking up from the book he had been reading, lips having curled up into the knowing smile she was so used to seeing and brown eyes staring at her amusedly, like he could read her every thought. She just narrowed her own steely gaze in his direction, and he remained completely unfazed.

"You do?" she demanded, and a quiet chuckle snuck past his closed lips.

"You're not in any condition to be out there," he replied cheerily, gesturing to her dislocated shoulder before moving his hand to the wind-battered window. "And certainly not training."

The Warlord opened her mouth to object, but flinched when she tried to cross her arms and found the words dying in her throat. She hated it when he made sense - not that he would ever get the satisfaction of hearing it from her.

Ginchiyo heard an all too familiar chuckle escape his lips - the one that meant he had somehow figured out her thoughts, and there were times where she was convinced he might have been a psychic. "Silence speaks for itself, you know."

The Warlord just turned back around and leaned against the window, silently wondering why she kept him around, while Muneshige went back to his book. A few seconds of awkward silence passed, dominated by Muneshige turning the pages to his book and Ginchiyo wondering if she was still fit to be Warlord if she could make such a rookie mistake. It was a reckless charge, in Muneshige's words, and while it won them the battle her retainer could sit back and point out he was right - like usual - while she was forced to stay cooped up and practically watch Violight decay.

Muneshige looked up when he heard her boots scraping against the floorboards, and their eyes met again. Ginchiyo's lips pursed, and he leaned back in his chair, waiting for the inevitable. "Why do you even care so much?"

He gave the same blithe, toothless smile that never ceased to frustrate her. "It's a retainer's duty to compliment their Warlord, milady."

"One that you seem to shirk quite often," Ginchiyo retorted through narrowed eyes, while Muneshige chuckled quietly and put aside his book. The Warlord managed to give the illusion of crossing her arms by resting her good one in the sling. "But that doesn't answer the question."

The warrior shifted in his seat a little, and Ginchiyo knew that she had managed to corner him. But Muneshige remained as calm and collected as ever - and she admitted that she admired his unflappability in the back of her mind - and brushed his hand through the side of his hair while offering up a small smile.

"Perhaps I just want broaden your horizons," Ginchiyo raised an eyebrow, and he continued. "Most of your time is spent training-"

"Because one of has to," the Warlord muttered loud enough for her retainer to hear. She allowed a shadow of a smile to cross her face at Muenshige's subtle reaction, but he wasted no time in bouncing back.

"But you'll eventually train yourself out of a job," that caused Ginchiyo pause.

"What?" it was more of a demand than a question, and Muneshige was happy to oblige.

"The war won't last forever, milady," he said with a small smile as the implication dawned on her. "And once you come out on top..."

"Better that than being conquered! Violight cannot fall, no matter what!" Ginchiyo retorted before spinning back around to face the stormy horizon. Might was the only way to preserve the Kingdom entrusted to her, and she refused to be the first of her family to let it fall. And perhaps it was also useful in keeping her retainer's head on his shoulders, she mused in the back of her mind.

"True," Muneshige replied with a small chuckle. "But conquer or be conquered, peace is inevitable. We might as well prepare for it now rather than later."

Ginchiyo looked back in his direction and raised an eyebrow. "And how would you propose we do that?"

She caught him leaning back in his chair and staring up at the ceiling in mock contemplation, folding his arms behind his head while a small smile spread across his face. "Oh, perhaps we could go visit some of the other kingdoms sometime? There's plenty we can learn from our neighbors off the battlefield, you know. Maybe we can make a little trip out of it."

"In fact," Muneshige sat upright again. "I happen to know a particularly nice restaurant in Chrysalia that would be worth the visit."

"See the world, hm?" Ginchiyo put her good hand to her chin as she pondered the idea. And between his logic and her inner monologue, something struck her like a sudden flash of lightning, and she spun back around to face him. "I'm the Warlord! If anything, _I'll_ be taking _you_ across Ransei!"

"As you wish, milady," Muneshige replied, bowing in mock humility with a more genuine smile. Ginchiyo was just happy to have settled that minor quibble, but another realization sprung up in the back of her mind.

"You still didn't answer the question," she heard another amused chuckle from Muneshige as he reached for his book.

"I know," came his reply. Ginchiyo only shook her head to mask her own small smile, and then turned back to the storm-battered window.

The storm would end, eventually, and she would be able to see the horizon once again.


	3. Heroine x Hideyoshi

**Author's Notes:** Well, I am horribly overdue with this. As you can probably tell, it's a lot longer than the other oneshots were, and will be - I started working on this months ago intermittently and have only now just managed to piece together the last of it. You all have my apology for how egregious the wait was.

Anyways, this it the crack pairing no one asked for (scratch that, there's actually more fanart for this than Aurorashipping) - I wanted to do something a little less predictable, and I hope it's at least enjoyable. It also explores a 'what if' scenario that I haven't seen approached, probably due to the simple fact of how small Conquest's fandom is.

* * *

 _Dreams_

 _(Horizonshipping/Heroine x Hideyoshi)_

She had dreams.

They were certainly ambitious, if not a bit more widespread than she would have liked to admit. But they were befitting of an idealistic, inexperienced new Warlord none the less. The old tales about the Legendary Pokémon that had created the region had fascinated her as a child - as they did so many others, though she liked to think she had a better shot at fulfilling them than most - and she made it her resolution to meet such a Pokémon one day; years worth of her hard work finally culminating in the day when she was made the Warlord of Aurora and could truly begin to pursue such an ideal.

So to say that the rookie Warlord was disappointed to have those dreams dashed on her first day might have been a bit of an understatement.

In hindsight, the girl still couldn't figure out exactly _how_ she had managed to lose her first battle. By all means they - she and Oichi, who had seen her outnumbered and offered her assistance - should have won, especially given that the warriors from Ignis seemed to lack any coordination or competent leadership. Especially given that they decided to take her back to Ignis instead of actually capturing Aurora, the fools somehow believing it was the same thing. Now poor Oichi was in charge until the Auroran managed to find a way out of the fiasco that her first day on the job had turned out to be.

The ultimate insult had yet to come, though. Her mental image of Ignis' Warlord was one of some scheming, decrepit man sitting on his throne, idly stroking a sharp beard as he waited for his minions to return. Instead she was met with the image of a boy her age, give or take a year, legs draped over one of the armrests of his throne as he rested his head on the other. He cracked an cracked an eye open when one of her captors coughed and said 'Lord Hideyoshi', the Warlord responding by yawning as he sat up. It was when Hideyoshi's eyes landed on his unexpected guest that all the drowsiness melted away from his face by immediately saying she was 'pretty'.

At that point, while Hideyoshi was busy absentmindedly blubbering to her and embarrassing himself in front of his warriors and tacticians - who for their part handled the situation with enough finesse that gave her the idea this _wasn't_ a first - the captive Warlord began wondering if all this was a bad dream brought about by eating too much at the feast the night before. Any hopes for that possibility were abruptly dashed to pieces, much like her other dreams, when the Warlord of Ignis abruptly cut himself off, leaped off his golden pedestal and quickly closed the gap between the two of them.

There was little reaction from anyone else present in the room, save a small, amused smirk from the boy in white that had been silently standing off to the side, which again reinforced the idea that this was nothing unusual for them. Whether that was good or bad, the captive Warlord had no time to decide, as the next words that came out of Hideyoshi's mouth were so sudden they dragged the girl's thoughts back into the throne room and solely onto him.

"How'd ya like to join our army? I'll even let ya keep Aurora!"

The brunette kept her dumbfounded gaze solely on him, mouth slightly ajar as she tried to find the proper response - or any response, for that matter - while the Warlord of Ignis just continued to shoot that same goofy, idiotic smile in her direction. Still not quite comprehending what had just happened, and just managing to slowly nod her head in apprehensive acceptance, she inwardly decided he was either one of the dumbest Warlords in history, or the most lackadaisical person she had ever met.

The defeated Warlord's reply seemed to satisfy Hideyoshi, as the victor clapped his hands together and smiled. "Great! Well, I'll let ya get back to whatever you were doin'."

Hideyoshi then spun around, leaving a bewildered girl in his wake, and sauntered out of the room alongside a disturbingly pale warrior clad in black. The two warriors that had roughly led her in also left, leaving her alone with the boy in white, who cautiously made his way over to the stultified Auroran.

"Uh, I'm sorry about Lord Hideyoshi's antics," he began slowly, as if afraid she would lash out at him. "I know that we probably haven't gotten off on the best foot."

The Warlord's look - a cross between disbelief and disdain - quickly turned to deadpan, but no words escaped her. The raven-haired boy seemed encouraged by her patience, and smiled. "I'm Hanbei, by the way, and I'd appreciate it if you could give Lord Hideyoshi a chance. I know he seems... well, _is_ a bit out there, but he's a good guy."

The defeated Warlord's humiliation turned to anger. "Because good guys attack new Warlords on their first day."

Hanbei remained as calm as before in the face of her retort; either he had anticipated it or was as laidback as his lord. The Ignite ran a hand through the back of his head, obscured by his oversized beret, and let out an uneasy smile. "Yeah, I'm sorry about that, too. Kanbei can go a bit overboard in his advice sometimes."

And she would have to work alongside him, the Auroran suspected with no small amount of disdain. She said nothing afterwards, simply continuing her glare, and the purple-eyed tactician took that as a sign to continue.

"I understand you're upset, but Hideyoshi will probably want to come by Aurora tomorrow to look around the place, so please just go along with it for now and I'll see what I can do in the meantime," her face softened after Hanbei's request, the girl mulling over her options. A few seconds passed and she decided to disdainfully accept his offer - not that there was much of a choice.

"Fine. I'll give Hideyoshi a chance. But don't expect me to be happy about it," he nodded solemnly.

"That's all I can ask," Hanbei extended a hand, the brunette shaking it before turning and quickly fleeing the throne room.

Defeat or not, she had Aurora to attend to before Hideyoshi's arrival. And hopefully she could figure a way out of this mess in the meantime.

* * *

It came as little surprise to her that the first thing Hideyoshi - the brunette's skin crawled at having to address him as lord - did upon his arrival was to ask her out to lunch. She had been a bit more prepared for it than Hanbei, surprisingly, the Ignite facepalming while she managed only a roll of the eyes.

But the Auroran did accept - much to the surprise of the Ignite and his tacticians - figuring that if she was going to have to suffer Hideyoshi's incessant flirting she could at least get a free meal out of it.

She didn't expect him to spend the entire hour and a half talking business, though.

It felt like a dream, watching the Warlord who didn't seem to have a care in the world talk about budgeting through the food in him mouth. At the person he kidnapped and then employed in a single day, no less. But - somehow - what he was actually saying was making _sense_ , and the Auroran found herself begrudgingly listening to Hideyoshi's more lucid blubbering.

By the time everything was said and done, the sun was beginning to fall from its perch high in the sky. Hideyoshi offered her some advice and a handshake before he disappeared into the horizon - she mustered up enough resolve to clasp his hand and was surprised at not having the desire to shudder. Hanbei offered a small bow to her before he disappeared with _his_ lord; the brunette returned to _her_ castle and heaved as reality came back with a vengeance.

* * *

Barely a week had passed after that meeting before she was called back to Ignis, the Warlord of Aurora musing what she could do once she found a way out of her situation to pass the time.

She came to the Kingdom of Fire of her own will that time, and pushed the doors to the castle's throne room open with her own hands. It certainly felt like a dream to her, the familiar memory of her being dragged into it having played out in her mind almost every night since her defeat. Hideyoshi's eyes shifted when he heard the ornate doors creak open, and the brunette stopped dead in her tracks when she saw him seated upside down in his throne, crossed-legged, nose buried in a book about accounting.

"Hey!" he called out cheerfully, quickly sitting upright like a normal person before hopping down from his throne. "Glad ya made it! You know why you're here, right?"

The white-clad girl blinked blankly. "No. All you wrote in your letter was to come."

"Oh, right," as sheepish smile broke out across his face, and he slid a hand underneath the back of his helmet. The Auroran only sighed in response, but Hideyoshi quickly recomposed himself. "Well, we're planning on moving onto Greenleaf, and I'd like you to join us."

"What?" she tried to keep her surprise contained - and failed miserably - while the Monferno of a Warlord just smiled and nodded.

"Yep! You've been doing a pretty good job running Aurora from what I could tell while I was there-"

"You were only there for about two hours."

"No, I mean the other times I dropped in," the brunette raised an eyebrow incredulously.

"What other times?" the cream-clad Warlord of Ignis shrugged nonchalantly, placing his hands behind his helmet.

"Eh, I visited a few times last week. I figured I could get a better idea of how you were actually handling things if I didn't say I was comin', and I have to say I'm impressed," the Warlord of Aurora struggled to come up with anything to say in reply, mouth open and blue eyes staring ahead, while Hideyoshi paid no heed. He spun around and sauntered back up to his ornate throne, throwing his feet over one of the massive armrests like it was a couch before looking back at her.

"But back to what I was sayin'. You've been doin' a good job, and I'd like to have ya tag along for the battle," the girl nodded weakly, eyes still trailing upwards to him, before an unexpected question escaped her lips.

"What are you fighting for, Hideyoshi?" he blinked confusedly in response, something mimicked by the Warlord that had asked it, and Hideyoshi sat up again and put his elbows on his knees.

"Hm? What am I fightin' for..." a small smile snuck up on his face as he muttered the rhetorical question, before looking back down at her. "Well, I guess I can tell a pretty girl like yourself."

The Auroran's eye twitched subtly, but she was too interested in getting an answer - like it would suddenly give the past week a whole new meaning - to care about the comment. The brunette had been expecting something along the lines of 'peace' or 'the legendary Pokémon', or perhaps even something less noble to escape his mouth, so what came out next surprised her.

"Well, you know how only certain people get to form links with Pokémon, right?" the girl in white nodded cautiously and he carried on. "And nobody seems to know why or how, too. I've heard that it has to do with blood, but my parents were just farmers and here I am."

Hideyoshi blinked and put a hand to his chin. "Well, the Legends talk about how the Legendary Pokémon made Ransei, and how it'll appear to the person who unifies it. So, I figure, a Pokémon that has the power to make entire regions might have the power to let people link with Pokémon, right?"

The girl nodded weakly, gaze shaking slightly. "Are you saying-"

The Warlord of Ignis nodded with a wide grin. "Yep! I wanna make a world where everyone can link with Pokémon!"

The Auroran had adopted a blank look after the declaration of his dream, though Hideyoshi could easily see the gears turning in her head through her sapphire orbs. He leaned back forward, eyes gleaming intently like a Braviary looking at its prey, before swooping down and drawing her out of her thoughts. "So, lemme ask you this; why're you followin' me?"

His question brought her tumultuous internal monologue to an even more violent standstill, and her head whipped up in shock. "What?"

Hideyoshi just kept looking down on her expectantly, unmoving, and the brunette bit the bottom of her lip while mulling over her response. Why was she following him? Her dreams had been shattered upon her humiliating defeat, and though she still aspired to find a way to regain her independence, the girl found herself following him still. Was it simply that she had no reason? Was it out of convenience? Aurora's former Warlord let out a sigh; her head was spinning and she had no answer. "I... I don't know."

She had expected him to be disappointed in her hesitant reply, but he just kept smiling, eyes looking down on her with sympathy. "Okay then."

The girl fell silent again, eyes going down to the polished tile below in contemplation. Flirting aside, the youth she had found herself looking up at was - for better or worse - completely and utterly guileless. His ideals might have been lofty, and too lofty for her at that, but there was something conciliatory in them - and she could feel her will slowly eroding at the realization that Hideyoshi only meant well. The Auroran was struggling to find the heart to crush his dreams.

"Anyways, I think Hanbei and Kanbei will wanna see ya to go over the battle plans," the brunette in white was brought out of her daydream at hearing his sing-song voice. "You should find 'em down the hall in the room on the right."

The cream-clad Warlord picked up the discarded book from earlier and engrossed himself in it again, and the Auroran gave a stiff bow before turning towards the exit. "Thank you..."

Her voice was too weak for Hideyoshi to hear over his book, but he did spare a glance in her direction when he heard her stop in the doorway, the girl's voice barely above a whisper. "Milord..."

The word left an odd taste on her tongue as she stepped out - she had expected to never have to use it again when she became Aurora's Warlord, and the notion had been liberating. Now it felt strangely nostalgic.

* * *

Though it was nearly five weeks into her service, and the Warlord of Aurora still was at a loss as to why she followed Hideyoshi, she had managed to make her peace with the fact. Walking down one of the corridors of Ignis' castle - the Fire Type Kingdom's usually stifling temperature was more subdued today, and it somehow made her feel _cold_ \- she began to wonder when her dreams of freedom, of conquest, had began to slip; slowly being transplanted with the contentment of reality.

She stopped for a second. Was it reality that she was really content with?

"Hey, Princess," Hanbei's comment drew her out of her thoughts, and she offered a smile as he approached her from the opposite end of the hallway.

"Afternoon, Sleepy Eyes," he smiled at the ridiculous nickname, walking forwards before stopping in front of the doors to the throne room, eyes still trained on her as she approached.

"That was quite the battle yesterday; if it weren't for you Motochika would have pinned down Lord Hideyoshi," the girl felt her cheeks flush a bit at the tactician's praise, but managed to keep a straight face as she joined him.

"I was only doing my job."

"But still; me and Kanbei were too far away to help. If you weren't there, who knows what could have happened?"

"The two of you were the ones to carry the day, though, so I guess it doesn't matter now," her voice was quiet, gaze distant as she stared ahead at the gilded doors. The Auroran might have helped Hideyoshi seize two castles - granted, the Warlord of Greenleaf wanted to retire anyways and just gave them his kingdom - but she still felt uncomfortable with the attention. Following Hideyoshi was one thing, but not knowing why she was following him, not having any dreams left, and _then_ being unintentionally reminded of that only made her feel uneasy. She spared a seconds glance at the narcoleptic besides her; Hanbei dreamed often, but that was only due to his incessant napping. His true dreams - his aspirations - had coalesced with his lord's; influencing Hideyoshi's ambitions while having become his own as well. The brunette mused for a moment as to whether or not that was what had happened.

The tactician cleared his throat, drawing her back to the present, and the girl in white wasted no time in pushing open the doors. She and Hanbei quickly crossed the room, Hideyoshi sprawled out across his massive throne like usual, while Kanbei stood in front of it, back turned to them. The albino took a quick glance over his shoulder, giving the two a nod as they quickly strode up aside him, while the Warlord of Ignis sat upright.

"Great, everyone's here!" the upbeat Ignite chirped out. "So, can anyone guess why I called ya here?" the Warlord of Aurora standing between the two tacticians might have come to expect the question, but that did little prevent her deadpan.

"Really, Monferno?" Hideyoshi only smiled in response to the nickname, while Kanbei gave a bow to preface his statement.

"I would assume we will be moving onto the kingdoms to the north, my lord," Hideyoshi nodded.

"Yep! I'll be needing the three of you in top shape if we wanna win these upcoming battles. Make all the preparations ya need to; we'll be moving out for Violight in a day," Hanbei blinked.

"That's all?"

Hideyoshi gave a nod in the affirmative, and his three retainers each exchanged glances before Hanbei shrugged nonchalantly and turned to leave. Kanbei did seconds later after another bow, but before the brunette could leave herself, she caught a mischievous look in her lord's eyes, complimented with a small smirk as he looked down at her.

"Oh, and that's Lord Monferno to you!" his smirk morphed into his usual goofy grin. "But I guess I can make an exception for you, Princess."

She wasn't really bothered by his flirting anymore, only offering a good-natured roll of the eyes in response before leaving. Whether or not it was simply because she had gotten used to it, or because she realized he meant little by it, she didn't know, nor did it particularly concern her now. All she could think about was the next kingdom lying in wait.

* * *

Months passed, and nine kingdoms had fallen before them. Half of Ransei was under Hideyoshi's rule - only half remained before his dreams could be realized. A laughable pipe dream once, a reality that could end Ransei's long nightmare now.

The girl was standing on one of the balconies of Terrera's recently-conquered castle; staring off into the distant landscape filled with endless dunes of sand and mesas, graced every once and a while with the occasional tree, all unfolding under the clear night sky and full moon. A sharp breeze cut across the balcony - she shivered, and the Auroran reeled back when she felt something heavy being draped over her shoulders.

"Hey," she relaxed at hearing Hideyoshi's flighty voice, the Warlord of Ignis quickly walking around to join her at the railing. "Awfully late to be up, isn't it?"

"I couldn't really sleep," his usually goofy smile that would appear whenever he was about to poke at her overcame his features.

"Really? Well, I guess someone as charming as you doesn't need beauty sleep anyways," the brunette rolled her blue orbs, but couldn't help the corners of her lips turning upwards slightly, or the red tint that flushed her cheeks. He didn't seem to notice as he turned back to the view before them, something the Auroran was thankful for, and her eyes shifted back to the Warlord besides her. Ironic, she thought, that for all his innocent flirting she was the one to end up with a crush. She almost chuckled at the nightmarish notion.

"Anyways," his comment drew back her attention. "We still have our work cut out for us, but I know that with you, Hanbei and Kanbei by my side, we'll make a world where everyone can link with Pokémon!"

Hideyoshi smiled again at her, and turned. The girl watched him go until he disappeared from her sight. "Yes, Lord Hideyoshi..."

He might have been a goof, but he was a goof she could follow. His dreams were worth following, even if they were no longer his dreams alone.


	4. Heroine x Hanbei

**Author's Notes:** Well, I'm a little late for Valentine's day, but here it is. A personal favorite of mine, and requested by many people, so I hope this lives up to the expectations.

* * *

 _Rest_

 _(Dreamshipping/Heroine x Hanbei)_

* * *

"Hey."

"Hey," was not really a good way to start a conversation with the person who just conquered your castle, she added on mentally, but it certainly got her attention.

She recognized the warrior standing before her as one of Hideyoshi's tacticians - Hanbei, she believed his name was. Granted, it was only due to process of elimination: he wasn't Kanbei, and she doubted she'd forget someone as intimidating as him so soon - at least Hanbei's mien was easier on the eyes. He was a handful of inches taller than her, but she still managed to look down at him like the victor she was.

"Something I can help you with?"

"Actually," Hanbei replied with a lazy smile. "It's about what I can help you with."

The Auroran raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything.

"I mean," he explained with a yawn. "You're still pretty green and your army's small. Actually it's not even an army; it's just you, your friend, and a fair amount of luck."

"Are you offering to join Aurora's army?" came the Warlord's hesitant reply - she was still trying to figure out whether or not to be offended.

"Why not?" Hanbei said with a non-committal shrug, folding his arms behind his head. Were his sleeves any bigger, the brunette mused, they might have actually been able to cover it. "Hideyoshi's released both of us from his service so he can do some soul searching - you know, the whole 'crushing his dreams' thing by taking Ignis - and I don't really like the idea of being homeless and unemployed."

Well, that was about a good reason as any. And they would need to start somewhere in conquering the other kingdoms, and a tactician was-

"Oh, but you'll have to take in Kanbei, too," she blinked at the addendum.

"What?" the Ignite smiled.

"We've always looked out for each other, and in your case I think two recruits would be better than one."

He wasn't wrong, the voice in the back of her head said. But the Warlord settled for crossing her arms; he might have looked barely awake resting his head in his hands, but she could see why Hideyoshi had made him one of his advisors.

"And what would Kanbei think about it?" it was asked to see his reaction more than anything else. Hanbei just dropped his arms and shrugged.

"I'm certain he'll come around to it," the Auroran nodded, more to herself than the tactician; Hanbei hadn't talked with his comrade in advance, so he probably had no ulterior motives in asking her.

"All right then, welcome aboard."

"Thanks," Hanbei replied, crossing his arms and putting on the biggest smile she had seen on him yet. It looked good on him, she thought absently. "And I won't disappoint; I'll have you know I'm a genius!"

And that clearly helped you back there, the Auroran thought wryly, but she just found herself with a small smile in turn, and then looked up at the massive keep that dwarfed the rest of Ignis. A new castle and two new warriors at her side; she felt on top of the world. Nothing could stop her now!

* * *

"It wasn't that bad of a loss, milady," says the person whose partner got knocked out first, Aurora's Warlord thought.

"We had both numbers and a type advantage, Oichi," she said quietly as they continued walking down the broken road that led back to Aurora.

"And Motonari knew the terrain of his castle better than us," Hanbei piped up with a yawn from behind her. "No need to make such a big deal about it. We can always try again later with a different strategy."

The Warlord felt a frown etch itself onto her features. "Easy enough for you to say."

Because he didn't have a castle or neighbors to worry about, because he wasn't still a greenhorn warlord who had to prove himself to his people, because-

"I know how it feels to lose badly," Hanbei stated matter-of-factly. "Doesn't mean you have to beat yourself up over it."

The brunette took a deep breath and rubbed her temples. "And if I don't learn from my mistakes, Hanbei?"

She didn't need to look over her shoulder to know that the same small smile he wore when going over battle plans had crept up on his face again.

"Then me and Kanbei will learn for you. They're our mistakes as much as yours, anyways," she shook her head - Hideyoshi had lost because he had been too content to rely on his retainers, hadn't he?

"Your mistakes are my mistakes," the Warlord swore she heard a barely-stifled snort from behind her.

"If that was the case, milady, you wouldn't still be a greenhorn," the Auroran tried and failed to come up with a retort, and settled for just dropping her head and looking gobsmacked as they continued their trek; she had a feeling that her tactician still had that dopey grin across his face.

She found herself having many more talks with Hanbei over the next few months.

* * *

"Still disappointed about losing Violight?" Hanbei had stopped referring to her with honorifics after a half a year of service. She didn't mind.

"Yeah..." the Warlord didn't bother to look up from the shade of the tree she was under; it was her refuge, on the fringe of Aurora, where she could be and plan her next move without every pair of eyes around her looking up at her. She could still see Hanbei's shrug out of the corner of her eye.

"Losing every once in a while can be good, you know," that got her to look up, and it was then that she noticed the basket hanging in his loosely in his hand. The Warlord raised an eyebrow.

"Like how?" the tactician decided to take a seat in front of the Warlord; out of the shade of the tree, but at eye level with her.

"Well, for starters," he began with a smile as he placed the basket in front of him. The brunette knew she had just lost this debate. "If I hadn't failed to defend Ignis, I would have never joined up with you."

Hanbei pulled a tea kettle out of the wicker. "And if you hadn't lost Violight to Yoshihiro, we wouldn't be able to have tea out here on such a beautiful day."

The brunette couldn't help but smile as Hanbei produced two cups.

"I guess you have a point there," she said lightly, leaning forward to grab the porcelain after the tactician had filled it. The Warlord took a sip as Hanbei poured his; the faint tastes of honey and Sitrus met her tongue, and she felt her small smile grow a hair wider.

A few seconds of small talk interspersed with quiet passed over them before Hanbei finally put down his cup and looked up.

"You know what?" she looked up from her cup. "I think you work too hard."

The Warlord of Aurora blinked, and then let out a very unladylike snort - it was the first time he had heard something like that from her.

"Too hard?" she almost giggled. "And here I'm thinking I don't work hard enough. As it is, I probably shouldn't even be here."

Hanbei shrugged and gulped down the last of his tea.

"You only live once," he raised a raven eyebrow, purple orbs turning back to his lord. "For that matter, you're only young once, too. You really ought to enjoy life while you can."

The Auroran blinked. "That's awfully grim."

The tactician smiled and crossed his arms.

"Maybe, but so is being a workaholic at seventeen," she looked down and felt a slight blush creep up her cheeks, and settled for emptying her cup. Hanbei stood up after another second.

"C'mon," he offered his hand. "It's a beautiful day out, and it'd be a shame to spend all of it sitting under this tree."

She blinked at the outstretched hand and the admittedly charming smile behind it. Maybe he was right; a few hours of rest wouldn't kill her. The Auroran slipped her hand into his and slowly got to her feet; and when she finally got eye level with him and saw the rest of Aurora in the background, for the first time since becoming it - if only for a moment - she didn't feel like a Warlord.

* * *

"Hey."

"Hey," was not really a good way to talk to your lord, she added on mentally, but since no one else was around she didn't care. Hanbei, head nestled in his hands, cracked open an amethyst eye from underneath the shade of an all-too familiar tree.

"What brings you up here? I thought you'd be back at the castle celebrating with everyone else," the Warlord shrugged and turned her gaze from the Ignite underneath the oak towards the slowly yellowing sky.

"I thought I'd take a look at the sunset," Hanbei let a small grin cross his face.

"Because it's the last one the old Ransei will see?"

"Because I'm not sure what I'll see tomorrow," the Auroran's voice dropped. She had finally reached the top, but all she could feel now was exhaustion and isolation. At least around Hanbei she didn't have to put on the smile she had worn for most of the festivities. The tactician just chuckled.

"Finally worked yourself out of a job?" the Warlord-turned-Unifier shot a half-serious glare his way, but he remained unfazed. "Well, I hope you don't mind if I stick around here even in light of that."

"Not at all; I wouldn't have been able to defeat Nobunaga without your strategies," she said quietly. _"Or your smile."_

"Really?" Hanbei opened his other eye and leaned forward, grin growing a little wider as he placed his elbows on his knees. "You might be stuck with me for a long time, you know."

"I don't think I'd mind," the Warlord found a small blush slowly spreading across her cheeks, and was suddenly stricken with how exhausted she felt when the yellow overhead began to make way for blue once more. She made her way over to Hanbei and sunk down next to him, looking up at the clear sky above.

"Maybe this isn't the end..." she sighed out as the last gold faded away.

"If you let it be, yeah," the Warlord blinked and look to her right; Hanbei's eyes were closed and his arms were folded behind his head again - to anyone else, he would have looked sound asleep. The Auroran let out a resigned nod.

"I know..." the Warlord found herself enjoying the silence, even as she struggled not to think about the future.

"Don't worry so much about it, not now at least," Hanbei's voice trailed off for a second. "Please?"

The brunette nodded lazily and nestled herself against the tactician's shoulder, eyes slowly dimming.

"Just for now," she muttered, a quiet yawn distorting her toothless smile.

"Just for now," Hanbei replied with a small nod, looking down at the sleeping Warlord next to him with a smile of his own.


End file.
